S. Korea to send gamma-ray CTs to African nations

DAEJEON-- A South Korean science institute said Monday that it will send industrial gamma-ray computerized tomography (CT) machines to four African nations as part of its ongoing effort to support nuclear technologies in other countries.

The CT machines developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) will be delivered to Ghana, Congo, Kenya and Tuinsia, as well as to a nuclear applications laboratory in Seibersdorf, Austria, operated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Gamma-ray CT is used for multiphase flow studies and tomographic imaging without destroying the object. Gamma-ray CT scans also show higher resolution images compared to X-rays.

The IAEA already certified that the CT machines made by the South Korean institute were safe to use, very mobile and of high quality.

The move is part of the IAEA's research project to support African nations, KAERI said. It said the CTs that the countries had were hard to use.

"KAERI will continue to work with the IAEA to push forward various projects to assist others in the field of technology development," Ha Jae-joo, director of the local research institute, said in a press release.